Gun for destroying wire entanglements.



J. M. JENNINGS.

GUN FOR DESTROYING WIRE ENTANGLEMENTS.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 6. 19m.

1375,561 F I 3PatentedAug. 13,1918.

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JESSE M. JENNINGS, 0F DES MOINES, IOWA. I I

GUN FOR DESTROYING WIRE ENTANGLEMENTS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 13, 1918.

Application filed April 6, 1918. Serial No. 227,124.

To all whom it may concern:

"Be it known that I, JESSE M. JENNINGS, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Des Moines, in the county of Polk and State of'Iowa, have invented a certain new and useful Gun for Destroying Wire Entanglements, of which the following is a specification. V

The object of my invention is to provide a gun for destroying wire entanglements.

More particularly it is my object to provide a gun comprised of two gun members arranged adjacent to each other and adapted to fire projectiles which pick up a chain or similar device and carry it with them for destroying wire entanglements and the like.

A further object is to provide a gun of the kind mentioned, and a projectile for use therewith, the gun members having means for supporting thereon at their muzzles, a chain or similar device, in proper position to be taken up by the projectiles discharged from the muzzles of the gun members, which projectiles have engaging means for seizing and holding such a chain or the like.

Still a further object is to provide such a gun having gun members, and to provide projectiles therefor, the gun members and projectiles having coacting parts so arranged that the engaging means on the projectiles will always leave the gun muzzles at the proper positions for engaging the chain.

Still a further object is to provide such a gun having means for shifting or moving the gun members so that the muzzles may be in a variety of positions with relation to a vertical line.

With these and other objects in view, my invention consists in the construction, arrangement and combination of the various parts of the device, whereby the objects con templated are attained, as hereinafter more fully set forth, pointed out in my claims, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 shows a front elevation of a gun embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 shows a top or plan view of the same, part of the supporting frame being shown in horizontal cross-section.

Fig. 3 shows a side elevation of the same, part of the supporting frame being shown in vertical cross-section.

Fig. 4 shows a front end view of the muzzle of one of the gun members.

Fig. 5 shows a side elevation of one of the projectiles.

Fig. 6 shows a sectional, detail view of a portion of a gun barrel.

In the accompanying drawings I have used the reference numerals 10 and 11 to indicate generally two guns or gun members, which may be built very much like ordinary cannon, and are placed side by side, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3.

The barrels of the gun members 10 and 11 are not rifled in the ordinary way, but are provided on their interiors with longitudinal grooves 12, each gun having one groove in the wall thereof adjacent to the other gun.

The gun members 10 and 11 are firmly and rigidly mounted in a comparatively heavy frame 13, which is received for rotation within another frame 14.

The frame 13 is formed with an external annular groove 15, and the frame 14 is provided with an internal corresponding annnlar groove 16. Mounted in the grooves 15 and 16 is a series of roller bearing members 17, preferably mounted on spindles 18 which are mounted in the walls of the frame 14. The frame 14 may be mounted in any suitable way upon the recoil mechanism of a gun carriage.

Mounted on the frame 13 is a large worm wheel 19. Suitably supported on the frame 14 is a worm gear 20, which meshes with the worm wheel 19 and to which rotation may be imparted in any suitable way for retating the frame 13 and the gun members in the frame 14. It will thus be seen that the gun members 11 and 10 may be arranged in the same horizontal plane or in the same vertical plane, or in a great variety of positions.

At the rear end of the gun members the grooves 12 are deeper for a short distance, as at 21, for a portion of their length equal to the jacket 22 on the projectile 23. Received within the deeper portions 21 are filler strips 24 which are pivoted to links 25. The links 25 are pivoted at the bottoms of the groove portions 21.

When the breech of the gun is opened, the filler strips 24 are swung rearwardly and outwardly, and when the projectile is inserted into the gun and the breech is closed the filler strips 24 are swung upwardly and forwardly until they close the groove portions 21 and prevent the explosion, when the gun is fired, from forcing any part of the shell:

cap into said groove portions 21.

On each shell is a hook member26 whichfits the groove 12 snugly enough so as to prevent any substantial'waste of power at the time of the explosion.

Secured'to each" projectile 23 is a short spring 27 inclined toward thetop of the hook-1 member 26, for a purpose to be hereinafter mentioned.- At the muzzle of each gun there is formed a recess 28 of proper size toreceive one of the links of the chain 29.

In the practical useof my improved gun the two gun members are loaded with projectiles'such' as that shown in Fig 5, with" thehook members26' received in the grooves 12.- A short length of chain 29 is taken to the muzzles of the "guns, and the end links,

which are preferably round, are placed in therecesses 28, where they thenstand in such positions as to-overlap portions of the grooves 12 in such a way as to permit the body of the projectile 23 to pass freely from" the muzzle 'of the gun without dislodging the chain links, and also in such a way that When =the-hookmembers 26 pass from the muzzles of the guns they enter the end links of the chain so that the projectiles will carry the chain with them It 'should be noted in this connection that the'velocity of theproj ectiles 23' will be such that the springmembers 27 will strike the end links ofthe chain as the projectiles leave" the guns, butwill be sprung out of the way to permit the hook members 26 toenter said end links, and-when the projectilescarry the chain With-them from the gun the-end links of the chain will be locked to the projectiles until the target is struck;

It will-be obvious that a deviceof this kind, firing two projectiles in a position spaced substantially'from each other, which i.

V projectiles are connected by a length of chain, will result-in striking a-barbed wire entanglement with the two projectiles and. the chainin-such a way as to simply tear through and destroy the entanglement,

The advantages of such a device as this in destroying barbed wirev entanglements, are largely obvious from the foregoing description. r

The gun is especially adapted for firing for comparatively short distances where the target is within plain sight-and the gun can readily be adjustedfor-tearing down the barbed Wire entanglements at any particular point, and leavingv a clean path-for'advancing troops. Incidentally,it-may be men-' Copies offthis patent maybe obtainedfor intention to cover by myclaims any modified forms of? structure or. use of mechanical equivalents which may be reasonably included within-their scope; It will be understood that suitablemecha nism shallibe provided for'handling the guns on the carriage, operatingthe breech. mechan sm and firing the guns simultaneouslyp I claim as my lIlVel'llllOl'l i' 1. A device for destroylngx:wneentanglementscomprising: a pairaof: gunbarrels mounted ad acent to: each other, said barrelshaving. grooves opening into'their bores, means on sa1d gun barrels for supportinga flexible. devlce at: thBlI" muzzles, PIOIGCtllGS,

and engaging devices on said projectiles adaptedv to travel in saidgr'ooves. and. engage the flexible'devices 'wh'enJthe projectiles leavethe barrels.

2. A device for destroying: wire entanglements, comprising a pair of 'gun-vmembers mounted "adjacent :to'e other, each of: said members having. on 1ts 1nter1or a longitudi- :nal groove, and having means at its end for supportmgythe end of a flexible =dev1ce1n position-adjacent to the end of one of said grooves,-,and filler strips for-the rear portions ofsaid grooves, adapted to be out ofthe way during. the .loadingvof the gun, andto close the rear portions of said grooves when .the gunyis discharged.

3. A device for destroying wire entangle-- ments, comprising. a pair" of gun members mounted adj acent to reach other, each of said 1 members having on its interior a longitudi- I nal groove, and having means at its end for supporting the end of a flexible device in position 1 adj acent totneend fof one. of said' grooves, fillerstrips for the rearportions of said grooves, adapted to be out of theway during the'loading of-thegun, and :to close the rear portions of saidgrooves whenlthe gun is discharged; and-links for pivotally connectingv said filler. strips with said gun 7 members.

Des Moines, Iowa, March 8, 1918-.

JESSE M. JENNINGS.

five cents each, by addressingtile Gonim1ss1onerof l'atents,

Washington, D. G. 

